Children’s Railway

A remnant from Soviet times, Children’s Railways were very popular in the former USSR with railways located in most of the major cities of the Eastern European countries. There are still 9 such examples throughout Ukraine and surprisingly they are still very popular, especially with tourists. The children’s railways located in Kyiv is a well-kept example and still enjoyed by many today.

The basic premise is that children and teenagers can learn and study the various railway professions in a safe environment. The older children get to drive the trains (under supervision of course) and the younger ones work in the ticket office and as conductors within the carriages.

To take a ride, find one of the two stations in Syrets Park and approach the ticket office. There’s a very low chance that the cashier will speak English as they are often very young children so try your best to indicate the number of tickets and look on the wall for the current prices.

Next wait for the train; there should be a timetable somewhere or you can ask one of the older enthusiastic children on the platform and they’ll try to help you. They will probably be happy to have a chance to practice their English with a native speaker.

When the train comes, the children will invite you on to the train. Once it departs, they will come round in their uniforms and check and stamp your tickets. They also stand up and announce the station names as you come close to them. There are two stations on the circuit and a high bridge across a valley which you can walk across assuming there isn’t a train coming!

The railway is generally open throughout Summer on weekends and holidays as the children are at school during the week. They don’t have a web site, so you’ll just have to go on the off chance. If they aren’t working, you can still walk around the park and see the carriages at the station.